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Growing up, I was surrounded by positive influences in my life that encouraged my art making. My paternal grandmother was an art teacher who always framed my drawings and praised my artistic efforts (even when it wasn’t my best work!). I also grew up with an aunt and uncle who had no kids of their own and often took me to art museums on the weekends for fun. My uncle called me Harry Potter with a crayon, because I would say I wanted to draw something random, like a frog, and then just do it, no references, confidently.
My experience with my own art teachers was always up to the mark, and I hope to take qualities I appreciated from each one in my own practice. In elementary school, I admired how my art teacher always had art shows that included everyone, making things feel safe and inclusive. In middle school, I appreciated extra attention from my art teachers who saw my efforts and made it a point to acknowledge that. In High school, my teachers pushed me to do better, and prepared me for college. All these things I would love to exhibit in my own classroom. In my art pedagogy, I believe that anyone should be able to come into my classroom and feel safe, acknowledged, and be able to complete the projects that I am assigning. I feel that it is my responsibility to provide the necessary adaptations or modifications so that everyone in my classroom feels capable of completing their artwork. I have a passion for helping students with special needs, because of my own experience with my younger sister who is developmentally delayed. She received a great education growing up, and my family always knew how lucky that was. I believe that this should be the norm, not a feeling of being lucky. I was a bit reserved growing up, and I know how important it is for a teacher to acknowledge a quiet student in the back of the room, because at one time, that was me. In my classroom, I want it to be a safe space for every student, whether that means extra support, someone to listen, or someone to give them permission to be creative! |